Merchant and doctor

Chapter 2054 Find a way to get those two to show off their skills
Traditional business isn't necessarily slow. On the contrary, the restaurant has three floors. The first floor caters exclusively to individual customers who eat and leave quickly. The second floor has private rooms with no room fee and no advance reservations. It's fair and honest, first come, first served, and everyone is treated equally. Of course, those dining in private rooms order more upscale dishes, which naturally increases the price. There's no service charge, and tips are not accepted. The third floor is the VIP area, where locals usually book rooms for formal occasions. Each private room is larger than the one on the second floor, with large tables seating an average of 12 guests. Accordingly, meals must be booked in advance so the owner can have the kitchen prepare the necessary ingredients. The prices on this floor are slightly higher, but other charges are the same as the two floors below.

Qi Yuewei invited Bian Mu over once, saying she wanted him to experience the stubbornness of the locals in Lijin!

Some local patients who had been completely cured by Bian Mu invited him to eat on the third floor a few times. Of course, he couldn't refuse their hospitality, and most of them were patients who came out for outpatient consultations. In any case, because he was treating them, Bian Mu had indeed missed mealtimes, so he naturally went there instead.

Therefore, Bian Mu knew a little about this traditional old shop.

Old Hou was naturally outgoing; as soon as he entered the first floor, he joked around with the owner's son. Bian Mu guessed that some of the meat used in this restaurant might have been supplied by Old Hou.

The autumn wind was chilly, and the window seats facing the street were already quite inconvenient. Old Hou specially chose a table inside with two sides against the wall. That table was already occupied, by a handsome young man in his early twenties. He was eating a vegetarian dish, a meat dish, and a small bowl of rice with great relish.

The shop owner's son walked up to the young man and spoke to him very politely for a few minutes. The young man smiled shyly, didn't say much, gathered the food in front of him onto the tray handed to him by the shop owner's son, and then shared a table with a young woman not far away.

Bian Mu felt a little guilty, so he specially asked the shop owner's son to add the young man's meal cost to their table later.

The shop owner's son said he knew Bian Guanzhu's name and readily agreed without hesitation.

Bian Mu and Lao Hou sat down facing each other, and Lao Hou very politely asked Bian Mu to order the dishes.

Bian Muzhen treated everyone to a meal and ordered five signature dishes on the iPad. The most expensive dish was the restaurant's specialty, steamed flying fish, which is famous far and wide. The fish is rare and the cooking process is complicated. A medium-sized plate of the fish costs more than 800 yuan!

"That kind of fish is just so-so, let's just forget about it!" Old Hou said, a little embarrassed.

"This table originally belonged to that young man, it wouldn't be proper not to order some expensive dishes!" Bian Mu joked with a smile.

"No way! I usually supply the beef and mutton here. Partner, you're worrying too much!"

"I've been here a few times before, and the taste is really authentic. I haven't had it for a while, but this wasn't ordered just for you!"

Old Hou smiled and said nothing more.

Not long after, the shop owner's son brought the young man a dish similar to stir-fried liver tips, as a polite thank you for giving up his seat.
Looking around, Bian Mu smiled and said, "They say that only old-fashioned people cling to traditional things, but look, at least half of the people here are under 30! So, tradition is not the same as being old-fashioned, much less outdated. Young people these days have a much higher awareness! The cultural revival trend is becoming more and more obvious, which is a great blessing for the country! So... your studio will no longer be just a simple business negotiation point. When we have time, let's discuss it properly and definitely make this a small base for promoting traditional Chinese medicine culture! Really! This is no small matter. I underestimated it before because I didn't have the right understanding!"

"Hey! You're a top-tier doctor, so busy every day, how can you possibly be perfect in every aspect? You'd be an immortal!" Old Hou was unusually happy, his face beaming. Bian Mu's sudden mention of promoting traditional Chinese medicine culture didn't really catch Old Hou's understanding, but... as a small businessman, as long as Bian Mu was very dedicated to what he was doing, that was enough. His aunt was absolutely right; Master Bian was a goldmine, and whoever got close to him benefited!

Traditional restaurants always prioritize the quality of their dishes, so the food isn't served as quickly as other Chinese fast food restaurants. During this time, Bian Mu chatted with Lao Hou about some ideas for expanding into new areas of traditional Chinese medicine treatment.

"Situ Jianqing follows the traditional master-apprentice lineage, where they don't publish academic papers. In fact, the prescriptions they write aren't even allowed to be taken out of the clinic. Liang Xiangyin has voluntarily abandoned that approach, writing prescriptions openly and allowing patients to fill them wherever they want. Either he's genuinely open-minded, or he's deliberately avoiding certain patients. I haven't had time to carefully check the patients he's treated, so it's too early to draw conclusions. However… I asked Brother Qiangzi, and Sima Kui always insists that patients use his prescriptions and must get their medicine from him; otherwise, he advises them to leave the prescription behind and go! Patients can't take the prescription out of the shop after getting their medicine."

“It’s not just him; many old-school TCM doctors in the city still use this approach. Some young people don’t accept it, feeling that they’re deliberately trying to sell medicine, so they go less often. Only older people can understand it to some extent, and they still come to the clinic for appointments. You mean… their school has a solution for conditions like those of Old Teng’s relatives, but because their medical style is rather conservative, they’ve always avoided using it. After all, you own the clinic! They can’t insist on the old ways. So… how can we try to find a way to test them?”

"No rush! In short, this part is indeed missing. If I were to fill it in by force, not to mention whether I have the ability, I would find it too much trouble to put in the effort and thought. Let's both put in some effort and when the time is right, we should ask the two seniors to reveal some of their skills, for example, let them show us a few tricks."

"That's right! Otherwise, why would I be wasting my time all this effort? I'll listen to you!"

At this point, the restaurant owner's son, along with another waitress, began serving the dishes.

Just then, seeing that the young man had finished eating and was about to go to the bar to pay the bill, the shop owner's son quickly stepped forward with a smile and explained a few words, while also pointing to the seat where Bian Mu was sitting.

The young man was quite generous and didn't refuse. He waved to Bian Mu as a thank you and then turned and left without hesitation.

Old Hou had no taboos; he happily drank three ounces of local liquor while the two ate and chatted.

“Traditional Chinese medicine culture has real objects and activities. It’s not just about bringing a few old things to reminisce. For example, Chinese medicine culture and Go culture have an inherent connection. Can you play a few moves of Go?” Bian Mu asked with a smile.

"I can manage a few simple games, but I haven't figured out the standard opening moves. At most, I can only get past the life-and-death stage," Lao Hou replied with a smile, appearing quite modest.

“Not bad! Once you get past the life-and-death stage, you’ll be at least an amateur 2-dan level! Don’t we have some spare space over there? Let’s set up a Go corner when we have time, provide free tea, and allow people to play Go there, especially children. We can also prepare some fruit, and I’ll cover the corresponding costs.”

"No need, we've been making money here all along! I'll get things sorted out tomorrow, should we get some more related old books to put there?"

"Sure! You can decide how to do it. As long as you get the atmosphere right, it'll be fine. Once the branch opens, there will be plenty of empty space at the Lin family's ancestral home. I'll set up a Go area for you later to promote the spread of traditional Chinese medicine culture through Go. I'll get you some written materials when I have time. We can't make it too rigid, or it will backfire!"

Hearing this, Old Hou nodded slightly, thinking to himself that Bian Mu was really taking things too far! He had potential!